Hover over the menu bar to pick a physics animation.
2. The distribution function of N(E) is an exponential `N(E)=N_0 exp(-E/(E_(fit)))` where N0 is a normalizing constant and `E_(fit)` is the energy at the 1/e point of the distribution. `E_(fit)` is the equivalent of kT where k is the Boltzmann constant and T is the temperature in degrees Kelvin.
When the animation is started, the number of atoms Vs energy of both types of atoms are sorted into energy bins.
From these number values four plots are made.
1. Histograms of the number of red atoms Vs Energy and the number of blue atoms Vs Energy. Since the total number of atoms per energy bin is small, it is to be expected that there will be a lot of random variation of the heights of the histogram columns. Both red and blue histogram energy scales extend to three times the maximum initial larger energy of the atom types.
2. The data from the N Vs E energy bins are used to perform a least squares fit to an exponential curve. These curves are plotted as continuous curves with green denoting the red atom fit and purple denoting the blue atom fit. Just above the curves, the values determined for dE as well as the correlation coefficient, R, for the fit are given. After starting the animation, it will take some time for R to approach 1.0 since many collisions are required to establish equilibrium (i.e. to "thermalize" the two gases).
The learner may (within limits) use the Sliders to change the following variables:
1. Mass of red atoms
2. Mass of blue atoms
3. Initial maximum energy `E_(max)`
4. Total Number of red discs
The program is set up so that if any of the above values are changed,
the animation is stopped and the energy bins are emptied and a new initial distribution
is randomly chosen.
When the Start button is pressed the energies start again to evolve toward their new final distributions.